Return of the Mythic Bloodline

Chapter 509: Drama

My shadow on the floor beside the bed turned dark, thickening like a pool of black liquid spreading across the polished marble. It slowly stirred at first, but then it became chaotic, splashes of black energy erupting outward in all directions, flickering like dying flames. My eyes narrowed as first a claw became visible before vanishing into the darkness again, the liquid churning as if something chaotic and violent was happening beneath the surface.

"Taranis, is this normal?" Nymeria asked, moving protectively in front of me, her body tense and ready.

Ume had already risen to the floor, standing in front of both of us, her pink eyes fixed on the shadow pond while a single plum blossom petal materialised in her hand, glowing with soft pink light.

"I should have guessed this might happen," I sighed, facepalming with a soft smack. "Ume, you can rela—"

Before I could finish my words, two figures burst out from the dark shadow and hit the floor with a loud, resonant thud. The impact shook the room.

Celestia was on top, her long cyan hair cascading down, falling parallel to her face onto Prime, who was pinned below her. His both arms were held firmly against his back by one of Celestia’s hands, while with her other hand, she was pressing his head flat against the floor.

"Master, this is the Troll King Grendal. I caught him sneaking around in the shadow dimension," Celestia declared firmly, her voice unwavering, ready to tear Prime apart at a moment’s order.

Prime locked his dark, shadowy eyes with mine. He let out a soft growl, a low rumble that seemed to ask for justice for being wrongly bullied. The several marks on his dark body, wounds from which black energy was emitting out like smoke, were clearly the result of the long beating he had suffered at Celestia’s hand from the moment she had entered my shadow.

"Celestia, set him free," I ordered, my voice firm and unyielding.

"But master, he is—"

"Celestia..." This time my voice carried no room for disobedience, each syllable weighted with authority.

She did not understand my reasoning, her face twisted with confusion, but nonetheless she moved sideways, releasing her grip and setting him free.

He instantly crawled forward and reached my legs, shaking in fear, his massive form trembling like a frightened child. The poor soul was completely traumatized, his dark eyes wide with terror.

I placed my hand on its head, a dark energy emerging from the touch, absorbing into his body like ink spreading through water. The black smoke stopped rising as his wounds slowly closed, the gashes knitting together.

"Go back. She will not bully you anymore."

Celestia’s eyebrows immediately twitched from my words, annoyance and confusion clear on her face, her lips pressing into a thin line.

As soon as Grendel jumped back into my shadow, vanishing into the dark pool, she demanded, "Why did you let him go?"

"He is my subordinate, just like you," I replied, rising from the bed, my arms folding across my chest. "You have already taken enough revenge for what he did when he was alive. Do not hurt him anymore."

"But he was the Troll King, a monster!"

"And you were a Death Knight, even worse than him!" I snapped back, my voice slightly rising, echoing off the walls.

She instantly fell silent, her head dropping low as she realised the hypocrisy behind her own words. She had killed far more humans than Grendel ever had in his whole life, her rampage spanning across a whole world.

"I-I am sorry, master. I will accept any punishment for this transgres—"

"Taranis El Thunderbane!"

Nymeria’s sharp voice echoed through the room, sending instant chills down my spine. The temperature seemed to drop several degrees.

My face immediately turned pale as I slowly turned my head back. Nymeria stood on the bed, her snow white hair fluttering violently despite the still air, her creamy eyes illuminating a cold, radiant glow as she stared down at me.

Even Celestia flinched from her icy aura, her hand instinctively clutching forward as if to protect her master, though she did not dare intervene.

"Wh-what have I d-done now?" I asked as I slowly retreated, my feet stumbling over each other.

"You have got some nerve!" Another voice echoed as my back touched Ume. I moved sideways, finding her looking at me with an equally terrifying gaze, her pink eyes narrowed into slits, her fluffy ears flattened against her head.

"Explain why this wench is calling you master," Nymeria demanded, her forehead mark flickering between white and black, pulsing with unstable energy.

"We-wench?" Celestia gasped, unable to believe the title, her jaw dropping. It was the first time someone had disrespected her so directly, right in front of her. Yet, for some reason, she did not dare utter a single word in her own defence. The pressure in the room was suffocating.

"G-girls, you are completely misunderstanding..." I blurted as I quickly explained my ability to control souls and the master-subordinate relationship between me and Celestia. Sweat trickled down my temple and dropped to the floor as I tried to clear the misunderstanding as fast as I could, my words tumbling over one another in desperate haste.

"Oh, so that is how it was..." Nymeria sighed, her hair returning to normal, the glow vanishing from her eyes. The tension in the room dissipated like morning mist.

"Ah, she is just a summoned soul," Ume added with an awkward chuckle, scratching the back of her head.

"Is that all you two have to say in your defence?" I muttered, my brows furrowing deeply. Obviously I was offended that they had interrogated me like this, jumping to conclusions without asking first. I was definitely not hiding an ear to ear smile because I was happy that they were so possessive of me. Definitely not!

"I am sorry for overreacting..." Nymeria said, lowering herself on the bed, her head down and voice low, contrite. She turned to Celestia and continued, "Forgive me for calling you a wench. That was immature and disrespectful of me."

"I-it is alright," Celestia replied, waving her hands frantically. She did not want someone who appeared to be her master’s master to apologise to her. The angel like girl before her was definitely at the top of the food chain while she was at the bottom. The power imbalance was palpable.

"Ume is also sorry," Ume said to me, her fluffy ears drooping sadly, her voice filled with genuine guilt.

"Hmph, it must be easy to get away with a simple sorry after accusing me of something so absurd," I retorted, turning my head sideways with deliberate drama, refusing to meet their eyes.

Nymeria jumped from the bed and reached closer to me. Her heels raised, her hands placed on my shoulders as she whispered in my ear, her voice turning playful and low, "You may spank me later as punishment."

Her seductive words sent instant heat rising from my neck to my cheeks, turning my face beat red. The temperature in the room seemed to spike.

"Y-you cannot go b-back o-on your w-words," I replied in the same low tone, my words breaking from excitement, barely coherent.

"Will you apply the ointment afterwards?"

I gave quick, aggressive nods, my lips parting, looking completely stupid and utterly smitten.

Her voice turned even more seductive as she whispered, her breath trickling against my neck, "Then I promise I will take all the spankings like a good girl."

At this point, I just wanted to unsummon Celestia and begin the reward Nymeria was offering. My thoughts were spinning.

My eyes turned to Ume, who stood a metre apart from us, her face even redder than mine as her fluffy ears stood straight, obviously having heard every word of the exchange between me and Nymeria. Her eyes were wide, her breath shallow.

My lewd, expectant eyes bore holes in her body, sending shivers running through her spine. She squirmed under my gaze.

"I... I w-will..." Her eyes began coiling, her vision swimming. Fume practically rose from her head as she ran forward, hugged me, and whispered in a mosquito tone, barely above a whisper, "I-I wi-will also ta-take the sp... sp... spankings."

The words were heavier than she realised. As soon as she said them, she tightly tugged my shirt, feeling intense shame and embarrassment surging through her. If there had been a hole in the room, she might have already jumped into it and sealed herself inside, never to come outside again. She was already regretting the offer she had made.

"A-are y-you sure, Ume?" I asked. I was taken aback, given the fact of how self conscious she was to show her rear to me, let alone let me touch it.

"D-don’t m-make me say th-that again," she hissed, her nails pressing into my chest through the fabric of my shirt. "I-I am on-only allowing be-because it is y-you."

She looked extremely adorable when she was embarrassed, her face buried, her ears twitching. I did not press further, afraid that she might take her words back.

"You have become bolder, Sister Ume," Nymeria said, patting her head playfully from my other side, a warm smile on her lips. "I am proud of you."

Ume did not reply. She just let out low, cute whimpers, digging her face deeper into my chest in shame.

"M-Master, did you summon me just to boast about your harem?" Celestia finally spoke, both bewildered and annoyed by the sight before her, her arms crossed and her eyebrow raised.

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A/N: Would you like a detailed Chapter covering the reward/punishment Nymeria and Ume offering Taranis? I will proceed according to your response...hehe...(Of course, the plot will continue from the next Chapter. If the majority agrees, the punishment Chapter will come 3–4 or more Chapters later, whenever the story allows.)